Born in Seoul, Korea, cellist Tae-Yeon Kim recently won 1st Prize in the 12th Lutoslawski International Cello Competition in Poland, as well as several other special prizes, including an outstanding performance of the work Grave by Lutoslawski.

Kim was born into a family of musicians and started playing the cello at the age of 7. She gave her debut solo recital at the age of 12 at the Kumho Arts Center in Seoul, Korea and received a scholarship from The Hyundai Automobile Company and the Kumho Musician Award dedicated to the most talented young musicians from Korea. She is recipient of several awards and prizes, including the Frans Helmerson prize at Kronberg Academy Cello Festival (Germany), Silver Medal and the Best Interpretation of Bach at the Young Tchaikovsky Competition (Russia), 1st Prize (junior category) at the A. Janigro International Cello Competition (Croatia), 2nd Prize at the Osaka International Music Competition (Japan), and 1st Prize and the Conductor’s Prize at the G. Mahler International Cello Competition (Germany). She was the youngest Semi-Finalist of the International Paulo Competition in Helsinki in 2023.

She has performed throughout Asia and Europe as an orchestral soloist, including with the Finland Sibelius Orchestra, Novosibirsk Youth Orchestra, Saint Petersburg City Orchestra, Suzuki Orchestra, KimPo Philharmonic, Rium Philharmonic. Her 2024-2026 season includes performances with the Arthur Rubinstein Philharmonic, Tadeusz Szeiligowski Philharmonic, Feliks Nowowiejski Warmia-Mazuria Philharmonic, Tadeusz Baird Philharmonic, Henryk Wieniawski Philharmonic, Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic, Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki Philharmonic, Baltic Fryderyk Chopin Philharmonic and KT Chamber Orchestra. Upcoming performances include recitals in North Carolina, Washington D.C, and at the Seoul Arts center in Korea. She currently studies with Gary Hoffmann and Peter Wiley at the Curtis Institute of Music. She plays a cello by V. Gagliano (1880) Napoli, Italy.